1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an on-vehicle card holding mechanism provided on an instrument panel of a vehicle for mounting instruments and switches, etc. on the front of a driver""s seat, which accommodates a cardholder to hold a memory card, and allows the memory card to be electrically connected to specific instruments.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional on-vehicle card holding mechanism includes a cardholder to hold a memory card, a case having an opening through which the cardholder is inserted in and pulled out, installed on an instrument panel situated on the front of a driving seat, on which instruments and switches, etc., are mounted, and a connection means that, when the cardholder holding the memory card is inserted into the case, electrically connects the memory card to specific instruments.
On the instrument panel, a hole is formed to locate the opening of the case. On the edge of this hole, a recess is provided in order to easily catch the cardholder by a finger when a user pulls out the cardholder.
Now, in order to use the instrument panel for a vehicle as a common component, regardless of grades of the vehicles, an arrangement is often made which provides the above recess to the instrument panels of almost all the grades of vehicles. Therefore, with regard to an instrument panel of the grade to which the card holding mechanism is not provided, the hole provided on the instrument panel is covered with a specific member, but the recess remains as it is, thus marring beauty of the instrument panel.
On the other hand, with regard to an instrument panel of the grade to which the card holding mechanism is provided, the operation buttons and knobs mounted on the instrument panel are pressed or rotated; however, only the cardholder is pulled out by hooking a finger on the recess, which deteriorates easiness for manipulation.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the invention is to provide an on-vehicle card holding mechanism that allows a cardholder to be pulled out without providing a recess to an instrument panel.
In order to achieve the above object, the on-vehicle card holding mechanism according to the invention includes: a cardholder to hold a memory card; a case attached to an instrument panel on which instruments and switches are mounted on a front of a driver""s seat, having an opening into which the cardholder is inserted; connection means that electrically connect the memory card to specific instruments when the cardholder holding the memory card is housed in the case; restraint means that restrain the cardholder from a move to a pullout direction of the cardholder when the cardholder is housed in the case; release means that release the restraint of the move to interlock with a pressing operation to the cardholder in a state that the cardholder is housed in the case; and extrusion means that extrude the cardholder so that the cardholder protrudes from a surface of the instrument panel when the release means release the restraint.
In the invention being thus constructed, the memory card is held by the cardholder, the cardholder is inserted in the opening of the case to be housed in the case, and electrical connections are made possible between the memory card and specific instruments. Here, since the restraint means restrains the cardholder from a move to the pullout direction, the memory card is electrically connected to the specific instruments in a stable condition.
When the cardholder is pressed, the release means release the cardholder from the restraint of the move to the pullout direction, and the extrusion means push out the cardholder from the opening of the case. The cardholder having the restraint of the move to the pullout direction released protrudes from the surface of the instrument panel; the operator is able to hold the protruded part of the cardholder and pull out the cardholder accordingly.
Thus, in this invention, since a pressing operation of the cardholder protrudes the cardholder from the surface of the instrument panel, the operator is only required to hold the protruded part of the cardholder to pull out the cardholder. That is, the operator can pull out the cardholder without a recess provided on the instrument panel.
In the above invention, the restraint means and the release means include: first pawls provided to the cardholder; second pawls provided to the case, which are engaged with the first pawls when the cardholder is housed in the case; slant faces that slant in a direction of a force affected when the cardholder is pulled out, which are formed on at least one of contacts of the first pawls to the second pawls and contacts of the second pawls to the first pawls; allowance parts provided to at least one of the first pawls and the second pawls, which allow the pawls to move in a perpendicular direction to the pullout direction; restraints that restrain moves of the pawls by the allowance parts when the cardholder is housed; a slider energized in the pullout direction, which moves along with correspondents of the first pawls and the second pawls; and a cam that positions the slider so that the pawls with the allowance parts provided become movable in the perpendicular direction when the cardholder is pressed in the state of being housed in the case, and positions the slider so that the moves of the pawls with the allowance parts provided are restrained by the restraints when the cardholder is housed in the case.
In the invention thus constructed, when the cardholder is housed in the case, the cam positions the slider in such a manner that the restraints restrain the pawls with the allowance parts provided from the moves to the perpendicular direction to the pullout direction of the cardholder. Thereby, the first pawls and the second pawls are maintained in a state of engagement.
When the cardholder is pressed, the cam positions the slider in such a manner that the pawls with the allowance parts provided become movable in the perpendicular direction to the pullout direction of the cardholder. In this state, the force in the pullout direction acts on the pawls with the allowance parts provided through the slant faces, and the pawls move perpendicularly to the pullout direction of the cardholder accordingly. Thereby, the first pawls and the second pawls slide, and the first pawls move to the pullout direction of the cardholder.
Thus, the card holding mechanism according to the invention is able to securely perform the restraint of the move to the pullout direction of the cardholder and the release of the restraint.